Campus Action & Sustainability

Day in and day out the energy at Power Shift HQ is growing. Deadlines are coming and going faster than we can imagine and, every time we look up, another day has come to an end and we're one step closer to Power Shift 2011. Each and every one of us is reeling with excitement about what's about to happen in just 21 days as we take part in the largest environmental organizing training in history.

It's amazing to see that this energy isn't just in our offices. Power Shift attendees are finding incredibly creative ways to share their stories, take action in their communities, and… to simply get here.

If you tuned into yesterday's Kojo Nnamdi show on NPR affiliate station WAMU in Washington DC, you may have caught about eight awkward minutes as the president of George Mason University was questioned about the influence of Charles Koch in certain departments of his university.

At Murray State University the Murray Environmental Student Society (M.E.S.S.) has been focusing on garnering support for the establishment of a Sustainable Projects Fund (SPF). This fund is often called a green fee by some campuses and it is a minimal fee of about $3-$5 that would come from student's tuition. The club frames this fee as giving up a Starbucks coffee once a semester. It is a small amount of money that could make instrumental changes for Murray State.

The Virginia Student Environmental Coalition (VSEC) just celebrated its first birthday. It was a raucous celebration where 60 students from across Virginia converged in Richmond to plan a future free of fossil fuels and make their voices heard in the halls of the Virginia’s capital. Their voices made it all the way to the Governor’s office.

As students in Michigan, Kansas and Virginia attempt to pin down evasive administrators to review grant contracts cut between billionaire Charles Koch and their universities, one campus is working to tie these regional

The Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition is gearing up for the 2014-2015 school year, and it’s shaping up to be as strong as ever. In a few weeks, we are hosting our Fall Summit, which will be a great opportunity for Kentucky youth to learn about our work and get plugged in. Plus, we'll be camping, eatin good food, and having lots of fun. Until then, here's a recap of our already busy semester!

As college students of the 21st century, we are well accustomed to budget shortfalls and financial uncertainty. Undoubtedly, the fiscal pressures of running a reputable institution such as George Mason University must be ten-fold compared to those we face as young adults.

Written by Natalie Cook, YEA! MN Program Coordinator for the Will Steger Foundation

We have wrapped up a fantastic year at YEA! MN. Our students have wrestled with big issues, learned about organizing, and taken action on projects they care about; all while going to high school, doing their homework, and participating in other community and extra curricular work. I have never been so impressed and proud of a group of youth- no, scratch that, I have never been so proud of a group of people!

Over at Energy Action Coalition, we’ve had tremendous fun with bringing together “Storyteller Teams” at big events. What’s a storyteller team, you ask? It’s a grassroots team of people who are dedicated to using the power of social media to share and promote movement stories from a conference or event. We’ve had kick-ass Storyteller Teams at Power Shift ‘13 and the SF Divestment Convergence, and together, these teams have reached and inspired hundreds of thousands of people.

Storyteller Teams don’t just happen on their own - they require some planning and recruiting and training and good old cat herding. Below are 9 tips (or rather, lessons we’ve learned) for recruiting and unleashing completely all-star storyteller teams.

Despite widespread consensus that climate change is happening and being made worse by humans, fossil fuel companies continue to profit from recklessly emitting greenhouse gases. How to stop this industry run amok that puts our entire planet in jeopardy?